Visiting Hours
by Akino Ame
Summary: Manga, after chapter 236. The mission has failed, and wounds need healing. Visiting hours are open at the Hidden Leaf Hospital so that some loved ones can offer comfort to those in need.
1. Brothers: Promise

_ "We'll always be together  
We'll share everything we have  
Whether it be joy or sorrow."  
"Hagane no Kokoro," Full Metal Alchemist  
(Translated by hikari-sama)_

Visiting Hours  
Chapter One: "Brothers"  
From a professional standpoint, the mission was a complete failure. A newly-christened chuunin and four genin set out to retrieve a fellow Hidden Leaf shinobi, and they came back empty-handed and badly injured. Another genin fresh out of surgery had run in to assist them, as had three foreign genin that had once been their enemies. Of the original four genin in Nara Shikamaru's team, one had nearly killed himself with his own jutsu, another had been stabbed repeatedly before being impaled at least twice with arrows, yet another had been forced to stab himself in order to prevent someone from killing him, the puppy partnered to that genin needed constant veterinary attention, and the final member of their team had come far too close to losing a fight to the death against someone he once might have considered his brother. From Umino Iruka's standpoint, Shikamaru's team had succeeded in bringing themselves home alive, even with the assistance of Rock Lee and the three siblings from the Hidden Sand. He'd had the chance to meet all of these young men when they were at the Academy. Some of them he'd yelled at, and some of them he'd praised. But they were valuable members of the Hidden Leaf, and he knew that he wouldn't be the only one who would have mourned their loss.

_I just hope Naruto can get over it,_ he thought. Uzumaki Naruto was the closest thing he had to family now, and the feeling was likewise from the boy ninja. Seeing Naruto's physical condition had been bad enough, but learning of the betrayal he'd just gone through was worse. Growing up, Naruto learned early how to cope with most types of hatred, but this was different. This was his _friend_ trying to kill him, not just an enemy ninja or even a random villager who didn't bother to see past the seal on his stomach. This was personal.

"Naruto _niichan_!" three voices screamed from halfway down the hall. His thoughts interrupted, Iruka turned to see three of his students from the Academy—Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi—running through the hospital, medics and their constant guardian, Ebisu, closely following.

"Iruka-sensei, where's Naruto _niichan_?" Konohamaru asked upon reaching him. His two friends and the adults behind him were panting for breath, but the grandson of the Third didn't seem in the least winded.

"I just visited him," Iruka replied. "Third door to the right."

"Wait!" shouted head medic Shizune, who had finally caught her breath. "Naruto needs his rest. The three of you can't go in there!"

"What about just one of us?" Udon questioned. Shizune took one look at his runny nose and handed him a handkerchief. They did not need him spreading his cold around what with all of the injured genin brought in already.

"I guess that would be all right," she confessed. "But _just_ one of you and not for very long. Naruto's been through a lot today, and he shouldn't see too many visitors. The Fifth and I only let in a few people because of how close they are to him. They had first priority."

"You should go then," Moegi suggested to Konohamaru. "You're closest to him."

"All right then," Shizune finally agreed. "But I don't want you to take too long."

Konohamaru nodded and walked over to the room. Naruto was propped up on several pillows, eating a bowl of ramen Iruka had probably gotten for him. He was heavily bandaged, and his forehead protector lay on the stand next to him. Konohamaru felt very strange to be seeing him like this. He'd never really seen Naruto _hurt_ before—bandaged a few times, yes, but those were always minor injuries. To Konohamaru, it looked like Naruto _niichan_ had only barely made it out of this last mission alive.

"Hey, Konohamaru!" Naruto called with his usual energy (and his mouth half-full of ramen). "Shizune and Old Lady Tsunade let you in?"

"Yeah," he answered somewhat awkwardly. At least Naruto was _acting_ normal. "Udon and Moegi wanted to come, but Shizune would only let one of us in."

Naruto laughed a bit. "Yeah, that sounds right. Old Lady Tsunade was in here earlier with Sakura and Shikamaru, and Iruka-sensei came in a few minutes ago. Hinata stopped in for a little bit too on her way to see Kiba and Neji, but she fainted—dunno why. Kakashi-sensei brought me in. He stayed a bit, then said he had to go. Hey, pull up a chair!"

Konohamaru found a chair nearby and brought it closer to his surrogate brother's bed. But as he did, he knocked Naruto's forehead protector off the stand. Naruto raced to grab it and replace it before Konohamaru could, but his injuries slowed him down. Konohamaru got to it first and noticed the second forehead protector that Naruto's had been hiding. Where Naruto's was in fairly good condition in comparison to his body, the second looked as though it had seen better days. A gash went across the symbol of the village.

_Naruto_ niichan_ fought a missing-nin?_ Konohamaru wondered. That was the only reason the Hidden Leaf symbol should have been scratched out. But Naruto's face was dark, far more serious than he'd look if he'd faced any ordinary missing-nin. Now, Konohamaru was worried. "Naruto _niichan_?"

He laughed bitterly. "He said I'd never put a scratch on it. Guess I did better than he thought."

"Who?"

"Sasuke."

Konohamaru's face fell almost as much as Naruto's did. He knew Sasuke was Naruto _niichan's_ rival, but he also knew that the two were close friends underneath their competition. Everything now seemed to fall into place: the injuries, the secret mission… Naruto and the others had gone to find Sasuke, and when the two friends fought, Naruto was badly hurt. And as young and sheltered as Konohamaru was, he could easily see something that would normally go noticed by only children who'd grown on the battlefield: Naruto _niichan's_ worst injuries weren't physical.

Naruto _niichan_ seemed to be thinking along those same lines. "Ever since I first saw him, I wanted to be that strong—stronger. When we were put on Team Seven, I knew that I'd have to work twice as hard to get him to acknowledge me, but he never did. And every time I fought with him, I couldn't help but think that we could have been brothers. But what kind of brother would betray you?"

Anger stirred up inside Konohamaru. Naruto shouldn't have been talking like that; he was always fixing things and saving people from themselves. It looked like this time, Konohamaru would be saving him.

"Brothers don't act like that!" he exclaimed, surprising Naruto. "Real brothers may fight, but they're always there for each other!"

"Konohamaru…" Naruto started, unable to finish. The younger boy wouldn't let him.

"Naruto _niichan,_ you might think Sasuke's your brother, but he didn't. You just said he wouldn't acknowledge you! How could you be friends?"

"He had his own reasons!" Naruto argued, defending his betrayer. "His own brother betrayed him, and he wanted to be strong enough to fight him—he _needed_ to be strong, but…" He stopped for a second, as if realizing it for the first time. "But he saw me improving and started to get worried. I was the worst at everything, and now I was catching up. He saw me as much of a rival as I saw him. But he couldn't admit it, and he couldn't acknowledge me until that fight when he finally put on his headband…"

"Sasuke's brother betrayed him, then he betrayed you," Konohamaru continued, picking up on the irony immediately. "He must have had that burning inside him forever, but you don't have to do the same. He used that as his reason to become stronger, but you have your own reasons to keep trying. You're Uzumaki Naruto, not Uchiha Sasuke. Don't become like him, _niichan_." Konohamaru was staring at him, pleading with him. Naruto actually grinned.

"Don't worry," he assured. "I've got my own dreams, and I won't let something like this keep me from accomplishing them. But…" And his face darkened again, though not as considerably. "But I still promised to Sakura that I'd bring him back. I'm not going to break that promise. I'm going to haul him back to Hidden Leaf kicking and screaming if I have to!"

The image of the cool Uchiha Sasuke being thrown over Naruto's shoulder like a sack and hauled home in indignation nearly sent Konohamaru in a giggling fit. Naruto looked at this young boy who had grown from a little brat searching for the best shortcut to becoming Hokage to the harder-working child in front of him. Atop his head was a pair of goggles Naruto had given him as a gift from one dreamer to another. Now, as he looked at this boy, he realized it had actually been from one brother to another. He felt extremely proud to be this kid's _niichan._

Konohamaru, catching his breath, commented, "When I become Hokage, the first thing I'm going to do is change the way the geniuses are. They're too serious all the time. They need to lighten up."

Naruto momentarily thought of Sasuke and Neji before he caught onto a key part of his little brother's statement: "What do you mean when _you_ become Hokage? _I'm_ going to be the next Hokage, you know!"

Konohamaru gave him a smug look. "You can be my successor."

"If anyone's going to be anyone's successor, _you're_ going to be _mine_! Then _I'll_ take care of the geniuses, starting first with the Hyuugas!" He looked directly at Konohamaru, vowing, "You may be my little brother, but I'm not letting go of _this_ particular rivalry."

"Me either," Konohamaru promised. "And I also promise that I'm not going to run off and betray you like Sasuke did." Naruto's eyes widened in surprise at this, and he slowly started to settle back into the uncharacteristic melancholy.

"I won't either," he agreed seriously. "The past's been repeating itself too much lately. I'm going to stop that from happening again." And then he looked back at his little brother with a grin. "So when I'm Hokage, you'd better remember that."

"You mean _you_ better remember that when _I'm_ Hokage!" Konohamaru argued. They stared at each other with massive grins across their faces. No, this brotherhood wasn't going to be broken. No matter what happened to either of them, it was going to remain just the same as it was.

"So," Naruto continued. "The old perv—Jiraiya—he's going to be taking me training for a while. You know, sometime after I get out of the hospital and all. He wants me to be ready for everything that's going to be coming at me."

"Then I'll start training too!" Konohamaru decided. "I'm going to be a great ninja someday, a hero, and I need to start now."

"That's good," Naruto agreed. "Better than I was at the Academy. I slacked off."

Konohamaru gave him a teasing deadpan look. "And you think you're going to become Hokage that way?"

"Hey!" Naruto replied in mock indignation. "I've worked hard to get this good. I didn't take any shortcuts or anything. I'm not going to give up."

Konohamaru smiled. "Neither am I. That's what makes you a hero, _niichan._ You don't give up on yourself or anyone else."

It was one of those moments in Naruto's life where he was flattered beyond words. For so many years, he'd just wanted the village to recognize him. Now for the most part, they did see him as more than just the Kyuubi's container. He had friends that were close enough to family, and he could see the pride they had for him. But no one had ever really called him a hero before; the closest had been Hinata, who'd said she wanted to live up to his ideals. The idea of being called a hero for doing something that came naturally to him as opposed to doing something incredible was inconceivable. He actually felt his face turning red.

"Er, um, thanks, Konohamaru," he managed to respond. "That means a lot." His mind suddenly turned to the memorial where Kakashi had tested Team Seven. He had told them why those names were honored as heroes. Back then, Naruto had finally realized the full extent and responsibility of herodom, and now he wondered if he could live up to those long-gone people. "You'll be a hero yourself someday," he told Konohamaru, but this time the boy looked serious. "What's wrong?"

"Do you think Gramps would be proud?" he asked. "He died to save this village and all the people in it. If he could see me right now, would he think the same as you, that I could be a hero?"

"The Third did something great all right," Naruto agreed, "just like the Fourth. They're heroes because they were willing to die to save the people they loved. But you called me a hero for not giving up. It's just something I do without thinking, like they probably did. You'll find out what makes you a hero someday."

Konohamaru replied, "Thanks, Naruto _niichan._"

The door suddenly burst open to reveal a highly irate Shizune. Naruto and Konohamaru stared at her in frozen terror as she yelled, "I've given you more than enough time! You," she pointed to Konohamaru, "out! And you," Naruto this time, "finish your ramen and lie back down! I don't care how accelerated your healing time is, you need some rest. Now out!" Konohamaru scrambled to his feet and ran out, too afraid of Shizune to even say goodbye to his brother. But Naruto didn't blame him in the least. She then turned her attention back to him, and he blanched. What had he done this time? But she placed a folder and a pen at his feet.

"What's this?" he questioned, giving her a confused look.

"Your medical records and contact information," she replied. "Tsunade helped fill out some of it. Make any corrections you need to when you're done."

Naruto didn't even wait to finish his ramen. He placed the bowl on the stand next to his bed and reached over for the folder, wincing in pain as his injured body protested the strain it wasn't yet ready for. On one side of the folder were the records of the other times he'd needed medics and information about the Kyuubi sealed inside him, as well as details of the seal. But a single sheet was stapled to the other side of the folder.

_In case of emergency, contact:_ it read. Below it were the names of various people and their relationships to him. He struggled to wipe away tears as he read them:

_Jounin instructor: Hatake Kakashi, Team 7  
Father: Umino Iruka  
Mother: N/A  
Siblings: Haruno Sakura (sister), Uchiha Sasuke (brother)  
Other contacts: Fifth Hokage Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune_

As he wiped away the tears of pride, he uncapped the pen and added one more name under the "siblings" list:

_Konohamaru (brother)_

**I do not own _Naruto, _nor do I own what the opening quotes come from. This quote I found off of I don't speak Japanese, I used my own liberal translations of "_Ero sennin_"and "Tsunade _obaa-chan._"This fic takes place in the _manga,_ following the brief snippets in the hospital after the rescue Sasuke mission arc. The chapters are in no particular chronological order. Most information on the characters in this fic (the names of Udon and Moegi, for example) came from with supplemental information from the Naruto section of Wikipedia. In addition, Shizune's angry entrance into Naruto's room (kicking Konohamaru out, etc.) was inspired by Madam Pomfrey in _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,_ who did very much the same thing. Please give me insight as to how I did, any suggestions for improvement, and anything else that might help.**


	2. Teacher: Bond

_ "A teacher opens the door, but you must enter by yourself."  
Chinese proverb_

Visiting Hours  
Chapter Two: "Teacher"  
Of all three of his students, Maito Gai was not ashamed to admit that Rock Lee was his favorite. The boy had a charm about him that Tenten and Neji couldn't seem to rival. His team had been a team of rejects: a village girl who'd taken it upon herself to study weapons, a boy with amazing potential that had been unlucky enough to be born in the wrong house of his clan, and a boy who was terrible with ninjutsu and genjutsu and had only barely passed the Academy exams. Tenten and Neji had a lot to prove, but Lee had far more because he'd had to prove to himself that he could be great. Neji and Tenten at least _knew _they were good. Lee hadn't had that luxury. And when his battle with Gaara left him so badly wounded that the Fifth herself told him that he would never be a ninja again, it nearly broke Gai's heart—more so than it would have if it was Neji or Tenten. Lee had come so far, mastering taijutsu to a point where he was strong enough to be a challenge even for some of the greatest prodigies of the Hidden Leaf. It was painful to think that he would lose all of that. And yet a successful operation had helped him regain it, propelling him to go out and assist Shikamaru's team with the mission to save Sasuke.

"It doesn't look like you'll have any problems," Tsunade informed Lee, giving him yet another checkup. "No complications from the surgery, although you are a bit beaten up from your battle with that Sound-nin, and you have a few scrapes from Gaara's sand. I'm also surprised at how quickly you sobered up after that mix-up with your medicine. I guess your metabolism used up all that sake during the fight." Lee smiled sheepishly at this as she handed him another bottle. "This is your real medicine—I labeled it clearly this time. Same instructions, take it every few hours. When things calm down again, I'll send someone to check on you."

"Thank you, Hokage," he responded politely. "And I'll make sure to stay on schedule with my medicine." She favored him with a small smile before leaving to check on her other patients, namely Neji, Chouji, and Naruto, who had taken the worst of their battles.

"Lee," Gai addressed, tears welling up in his eyes. His student showed the same sentiment. That was another thing he liked about the kid; not too man to show his emotions, unlike that Kakashi, who was always wearing some kind of mask—metaphorical or physical. "Lee, your actions today…"

"I'm sorry, Gai-sensei," Lee apologized, bowing dramatically, afraid his teacher was disappointed in him for running off to join the battle when he'd only just barely recovered from surgery. "I had to help Naruto fulfill his promise to Sakura and save Sasuke. He said it was the promise of a lifetime, and I knew he wouldn't be able to fulfill it if he was caught up in battle against that Sound-nin Kimimaro. I figured you would do the same."

"I'm not mad at you," Gai corrected. "I'm very proud of you. I was worried, especially when the Fifth and I noticed you'd grabbed the sake bottle instead of your medicine, but I'm proud of you for trying to help your friend. You've become a fine ninja." He then gave him a hug, being mindful of the boy's recovering wounds.

"Am I interrupting anything?" asked a low voice outside the door. Standing there without his gourd of deadly sand was Gaara of the Sand siblings.

"Gaara?" Lee asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Temari, Kankurou, and I are remaining as long as it takes for the Leaf to rebuild its defenses, and your Hokage wants me to rest from the exertion of our battle against the Sound-nin. I was going to visit Naruto to see if he was all right after his battle with Sasuke, but the Hokage's assistant told me he'd had enough visitors for today. I was going to talk back to my room when I noticed the Hokage coming out of yours. She said it would be all right for me to see how you were."

While Gai stared in open-mouthed shock, Lee answered, "I'm all right. The Fifth said I shouldn't have any problems after the surgery and the battle. I just have to take my medicine, but I'll be fine."

"Lee, what's going on?" Gai questioned.

"Gaara saved my life when we fought that Sound-nin," Lee explained. "He shielded me with his sand and kept me out of danger while he fought."

"He saved your life?" Gai repeated.

What happened next none of them saw coming, although they should have anticipated it by Gai's extreme affection for Lee. Before Gaara could even get his sand shield up, Gai ran up and smothered him in a massive bear hug, declaring, "Thank you for saving my student!" The shocked Gaara remained still as he looked toward an apologetic Lee; he didn't know whether to be confused or embarrassed, so he just settled for both. By the time Gai had finally regained himself, the young Sand-nin looked as though he never wanted to be reminded of this particular incident ever again.

"I am forever in your debt," Gai added, almost oblivious to Gaara's discomfort.

"There's no need," replied the son of the late Kazekage. "The Sand and the Leaf are allies. I protect my allies." Looking thoughtful, he added in a softer tone, "I've learned that from Naruto."

"I have to say there's no better teacher of that lesson," Lee confessed. "Not even you, Gai-sensei." He sounded almost ashamed to admit this in front of his beloved teacher, but Gai's expression was kind.

"I won't argue with you, Lee. I don't know the boy as well as you do, but I watched him at the Chuunin Exam. I saw him get through to Neji when no one else could—not even me. If he ever becomes a jounin and gets his own team, his students will be lucky."

"If we're as good jounin teachers as ours were, our students will be lucky too," Lee added. But Gaara's face was solemn.

"I wouldn't be so sure," he murmured, and Gai and Lee turned to him for clarification. "I've seen the relationships you Leaf-nin have between teachers and students. You care for each other as deeply as you would for family—sometimes even letting them replace your family, if what I've heard of Naruto's team is true. The Sound ninja Kimimaro was willing to risk all for Orochimaru's dream because of his bond to his teacher, just as you would gladly risk your lives for your teachers and teammates. An entire team is in the hospital recovering from injuries—three of whom are in guarded condition—trying to recover a comrade who willingly abandoned them. Your lessons are taught in love and tears as much as in training and missions. We don't have anything like that in the Sand."

Lee blinked in surprise. "You don't?" He didn't know very much about the systems used in the other hidden villages, but he'd always assumed that all five countries used the same idea for their genin teams. The closer you were to your teammates, the more synchronized your fighting became and the more easily you worked together. It was common sense.

"I can only speak for the Wind Country, but we view bonds like that as a weakness," Gaara explained. "If you get too close to someone, they become a liability. You can't afford to become attached when everyday your life is at risk. We focus on perfection of skills so that we can remain alive and advance. Shinobi are tools, and the jounin instructors must sharpen them to their fullest potential. Baki taught us that way. Kankurou was the only one he ever formed any kind of bond with because of my brother's temper and impatience. Temari was left to her own devices, so she's mostly self-taught."

"Your father, the Fourth Kazekage, trained you for some time, didn't he?" Gai remembered. The jounin senseis had been briefed by the Third Hokage when the Exam came. All genin from all participating villages had to be given a fair chance, and short of blowing bloodline limits and sealed demons, naming their extra teachers was as fair as it got.

Gaara nodded. "My father trained me to be the greatest tool of the village. He spoiled me, honed my talents, praised my skills…but he never could feel anything more than hate and fear of me. Love was something I was only taught once, by someone who hated me more than anyone else ever did." Lee noticed Gaara's eyes stray toward the floor. Neji would have pointed out that the Hidden Sand genin was remembering something unpleasant. Lee knew he would have been right.

"It's a shame the Hidden Sand believes this," Gai commented. "Rule Twenty-five teaches us not to show our weaknesses, but we shouldn't sever away any possible strengths as well."

"You're right," Gaara remarked softly. When he looked back up, there were traces of determination on his passive face. "My father is dead, and we need a new Kazekage. I've told Kankurou that I plan on training to be the Fifth. If I succeed, there are a lot of lessons I want to teach my village. This is one of them." Lee's eyes were drawn to the blood-red mark on Gaara's forehead, the character for "love."

"If anyone can teach that lesson to them, I'm sure you can," he affirmed. Gaara nodded in response.

"It's time the Hidden Sand learned a lot of new things," he decided. "And perhaps our friends in the Leaf can teach us some of these."

"I don't doubt that we can," Gai replied, and Lee nodded his agreement.

**Shorter than the last, but sweet and to the point.**** Gaara's comments are taken from Baki's lack of interaction with the siblings in the _manga_, which is a world away from the intimate teaching Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma give.**


	3. Family: Change

"_A house divided against itself cannot stand."  
Abraham Lincoln_

Visiting Hours  
Chapter Three: "Family"

House Hyuuga was split-level. That was the way eight-year-old Hyuuga Hanabi knew it. The Main House were the heirs, entrusted with guaranteeing the purity of the bloodline. The Branch House were entrusted to protect the Main at all costs, and somewhere down the line they'd become nothing more than glorified bodyguards and servants. It was kept that way to ensure the Hyuuga line would remain strong and that nothing tainted their blood. It had worked, and the Hyuugas had remained pure ever since they had implemented the system after the unfortunate incident involving a weaker Hyuuga girl and a fire jutsu expert that resulted in the formation of the all but extinct Uchiha clan. The eldest male Main Hyuuga became the heir, and if none was available, the title went to the oldest female. Unless specifically born into the Branch House, women were not thrown there for weakness or being younger, as political marriages helped cement the Hyuugas' importance in the shinobi world. But the heir, Hinata, was weak. That couldn't be allowed. Hanabi was strong, but she could not be the heir because she was the youngest. That too could not be allowed. Neji, born into the Branch, had excelled in all of the clan's techniques, but he couldn't possibly be the heir because of which house he'd been born in. That wasn't just "not allowed," that was downright _unthinkable_.

What was also unthinkable was the situation young Hanabi found herself in. Earlier, the last of the Uchiha had left the Leaf, and the Fifth sent a squad of genin out to retrieve him. Among them was Neji. She didn't know all the details, but they'd barely come back alive. Medic teams had to carefully and quickly transport Neji and another boy back to the hospital, and jounin Hatake Kakashi had been seen carrying home Uzumaki Naruto. Upon hearing of this, Hinata had begun to worry about Neji's and Naruto's conditions, and Hiashi decided that the three of them would make a visit to the Hidden Leaf Hospital to check on Neji. And that was something Hanabi couldn't understand.

_Father has changed since the Chuunin Exam,_ she reflected. He had become far less strict in the days following Neji's loss to Naruto, though what brought that about, Hanabi didn't know. He didn't scold Hinata as much as he used to, and when Hanabi failed at something, he simply affirmed that she would "do better next time"—without any reprimand of any sort.

_But, if he's changed enough, maybe I can ask,_ she mused. "Father?" He looked over at her, and Hanabi momentarily felt her sister's usual nervousness. "Father, why are we here?"

"He is family," he answered.

"But, Father…"

"Branch House or not, he is family. And family must stand together."

Hanabi held her tongue after this. What her father said was true; in fact, it was the entire basis of the clan system. Relatives were more likely to protect each other when in danger, and they often had common goals. Family techniques and bloodline limits bonded them together in ninja villages, and they fought to protect these bonds. When one member of the clan was threatened, the rest came to his aid. The clan was a group identity—once you were part of one, you thought of the group first, and the individual second.

_But when that doesn't happen and the clan is betrayed, we need to ensure that we're not betrayed again,_ she thought. That was the basis of the Branch House and the seal on their foreheads after Hyuuga Hikaru ran off with Uchiha Taisuke. Hikaru's family had betrayed them, so their descendents and all younger male Main Hyuugas were punished for her foolish actions. Neji's mother was a direct descendent of Hikaru's family, and his father was the younger Main Hyuuga. He had to wear the seal, but ever since the Chuunin Exam, Hanabi's father no longer seemed to believe in the necessity of the Curse Seal.

Hanabi looked over at her sister, who was recovering from the shock of seeing Naruto heavily bandaged and half-conscious. Hinata had fainted and spent the past ten minutes trying to get over the shock and the embarrassment. She saw Hanabi looking at her and smiled, commenting, "It'll be okay, I promise." Hanabi blinked at this—how could her weak sister insist that things would be all right, moreover, _promise_ that they would be? Everything was changing, and like any good Hyuuga, Hanabi hated it.

Some changes she supposed were all right. After the Chuunin Exam, Neji seemed to have finally accepted his fate as a Branch House member. He was still too good a fighter for that House—fate had played a cruel joke on him, after all—but he no longer gave off the aura that he deserved to be in the Main House more than Hanabi and Hinata. And he was somewhat easier to tolerate. Hinata could talk to him without stammering as badly as she used to, and he was far kinder to them than he'd been in the past. He'd even offered them both tips on their fighting styles, pointing out where they'd missed steps. Even though Hiashi was training him, he'd dropped hints that Hanabi should train under Neji, and that if Neji became a jounin by the time Hanabi graduated from the Academy, Neji should be her sensei. That she wouldn't mind too much—a Hyuuga, even a Branch Hyuuga, would understand how she needed to fight, and Neji would still be able to protect her according to clan laws. But still, things were changing too much and too fast for her to keep up with. She couldn't help it; she dropped her head in her hands.

"Are you okay, Hanabi?" Hinata checked. She didn't want to answer. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like this," whispered some unwelcome part of her soul. It couldn't have come from her. She tried to push it back, but it kept coming back up.

"What don't you like?" Hinata asked. "If it's the hospital, I suppose we could leave…"

"Not this," that other part of her insisted. "Everything's changing. I hate it."

"Everything has to change, Hanabi," Hinata replied. Why did she have to be strong at a time like this? Didn't she realize she was part of the problem? "It's just how the world works."

"I don't care!" she shouted, and centuries of Hyuuga laws and traditions shattered with her cry. "Nothing's right—don't you see it?" That alien part of her took over completely and urged her to rage and storm, to shout at her sister and father every sin against the Hyuugas they and Neji had committed. It made her want to track down Uchiha Sasuke herself and put the curse seal on _him_ as punishment for his ancestors' sins. It made her want to go into the room down the hall and kill Uzumaki Naruto as he lay in his bed.

"Hanabi, that's enough," Hiashi replied suddenly, sounding much more like his normal self. It got Hanabi to calm down and stop clenching her fists. "The Hyuuga have traditionally resented change. Our culture has existed since long before the Hidden Leaf was founded. Great clans and cultures have risen and fallen since then, but the Hyuuga have always thrived. The world may fall down around us, but we are always as we always were. But perhaps that isn't right."

"What do you mean, Father?" Hanabi asked.

"We only allow one male heir, so we exile the younger ones to the Branch House. In theory, it ensures that the Hyuuga rule passes down without bloodshed, but it causes the Branch House to gain more and more. The curse seal prevents our family's secrets from going into enemy hands after death, but we only seal the Branch, reminding them that their fate is to die with nothing while we Main prosper. It has caused bitterness and strife throughout the clan, and I fear that it has gone on long enough."

He turned toward them and realized this was the first time he'd ever really _looked _at his daughters. Every time before, he merely saw their outermost layers, his assumptions of who they were and who they would become. But now, he saw _them._ Both Hinata and Hanabi were watching him carefully—Hinata with quiet understanding, a gentle heart that might actually complement the Gentle Fist; and Hanabi with the slightest dawn of comprehension. Hiashi suddenly realized how grateful he was that Naruto had beaten Neji; if he hadn't, these changes in Hanabi wouldn't have happened. She would have turned out exactly like Neji, until one day she too came face-to-face with a loud-mouthed outcast who was trying to change his fate. Naruto had helped Neji change his fate, but it wouldn't be enough to change the Hyuugas'. That, Hiashi supposed, would be up to Hinata and Hanabi, who had seemed to change theirs—Hinata at the Chuunin Exam, and Hanabi right now, from her father's words.

_The clan will be in good hands, then,_ he decided. It didn't matter who was the heir and who was stronger. The Hyuuga had relied far too much on strength and isolation to preserve their traditions. So too had the Uchiha, now that he thought of it. If the Hyuuga were to survive another few centuries, they needed wisdom to guide them. Hinata, Hanabi, and Neji had that wisdom. They would be the ones to change the Hyuuga for the better.

**Apologies for the short chapter and long wait—I have had other projects to work on, and the Hyuuga clan is not the easiest in the world to write for. Since there wasn't much on Hanabi's character and the Hyuuga seem to be adverse to change, I figured this characterization for her would work.**


	4. Rivals: History

Visiting Hours  
Chapter Four: "Rivals"

Although it was called the Hidden Leaf Village, the Yamanakas liked to think that its history was written in flowers—their flowers, to be exact. Theirs weren't the only flower shop in the Hidden Leaf, but it was the best. They were well respected for being excellent ninjas, and their shop profited from their reputation, as well as from their excellent service and lovely arrangements. Business was at its best not only during joyous times like holidays, weddings, festivals, and rank promotions, but also during tragic times like funerals and major hospitalizations. The Yamanakas had provided flowers for the Fifth's induction and the funerals of the Fourth and the Third. They also were providing flowers for the visitors to the young Hidden Leaf ninjas who were hospitalized in the attempt to retrieve Sasuke. And having visited her teammates, Yamanaka Ino was busy making and selling flower arrangements for the rest of her fellow genin. Her father had already handled a special order from Kakashi, so the rest were for her classmates. Most of the customers didn't know what exactly to send, so Ino personally picked out the flowers for them, playing on the language of flowers to send along messages of "Get well soon." And after Tenten walked out with an arrangement each for Neji and Lee, Ino took the opportunity to sit down.

"What a day," she breathed. She felt guilty about complaining—after all, this was nothing compared to what her friends had gone through—but she was still exhausted. They'd had to take thirty-three orders in the past hour alone. She'd never realized how many friends Kiba, Neji, Lee, Naruto, and Chouji had until now. And it was funny, because of that group, she only anticipated Kiba to have that many well-wishers. He was loud and brash, but likable and easy to befriend. The other four were outcasts by comparison.

The door opened again, and she moaned, "Not again," before looking over to see Haruno Sakura walking in. She suddenly felt a sympathy she hadn't felt in years; Sakura had never looked as unhappy as she did now. This was something she'd have to handle delicately.

"Sakura?" she asked gently. "Do you need any help?"

"Oh, no thank you, Ino," Sakura answered. "I'm just browsing." Ino felt a little worse at Sakura's lack of emotion. Normally, she'd have yelled something by now.

"Okay then. Just tell me what you want, and I'll put an arrangement together for you."

"Thanks."

Ino felt strange watching her browse through the flowers. She lingered around the purple hyacinth before taking several. Purple hyacinth meant "I'm sorry." Sakura was apologizing to someone—probably Naruto—through those flowers. Ino felt bad about Chouji's injuries and Shikamaru's failure, but she hadn't gone so far as to apologize through flowers. Chouji would receive the usual "get well" bunch of bright flowers she usually sent to her friends, full of wishes to return to health and happiness. And for Shikamaru, irises—faith, hope, wisdom, and valor: everything he needed right now. And even though there weren't a lot of people who knew the language of flowers, nobody had decided that purple hyacinths would be a good choice. Most had chosen carnations or roses. If Sakura specifically wanted these flowers, she had to be feeling extremely guilty about Naruto's injuries.

"These are for Naruto, right?" she checked, putting them in a vase. Sakura nodded. "Are you sure he won't want something a little brighter? I mean, he'd love anything you give him, what with that crush and all—" And here Sakura slightly winced, so Ino cut off the topic. "Is this all?"

Sakura knew there was no kidding Ino. Ino had taught her everything she knew about flowers, after all. She knew exactly what the hyacinth message to Naruto was, but not why. And for some reason she couldn't begin to understand, she wanted to tell her:

"I want to apologize to him for what happened. He keeps telling me it's not my fault. He thinks it's his, and he keeps promising me that he won't fail next time."

Ino pulled out a ribbon and tied it around the vase. "I really don't see how it's your fault. I'm upset that Sasuke's gone too, but I have to admit that it was his choice, as much as it hurts to say it."

"But did you ask Shikamaru and Chouji to bring him back?" Ino froze for a second, indicating to Sakura that she'd said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry, Ino. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"I know," she said. "It's just tough. I didn't get the chance to see Chouji—Lady Tsunade said it wouldn't be a good idea for his health just yet—but just knowing that he nearly died… It's hard. It's really hard."

"I felt the same when I saw Naruto earlier," Sakura admitted, trying to erase the image of his bandaged body from her mind. "It's funny, I guess, in a weird way. We see them all the time and we think they're immortal, so it's hard to think of them hurt like that." Then, changing the subject, she said, "At least Shikamaru was lucky enough to escape injury, thanks to Temari."

"Yeah," Ino agreed, "but the battle nearly killed his self-confidence. I ran into Temari earlier, and she said that he tried to quit. His father tried to talk him out of it, but it wasn't until Lady Tsunade and Shizune told him that everyone was going to live that he decided not to give up."

"That's good," Sakura answered. "At least something good came out of it." Then, realizing that she was holding a civil conversation with Ino, she shook her head. "Look at us: two rivals talking to each other like friends. How did that happen?"

Ino laughed. "I don't know. I guess all that history just flew out the window. Crazy, isn't it?"

"It's not all gone," Sakura replied, a determined look in her eyes replacing her earlier regrets. "Sasuke may be gone for now, but not as long as I have anything to say about it. Between Naruto and me, we'll bring him back."

"You?" Ino asked incredulously. "Naruto's strong—I'll give you that—but there's no way you can get Sasuke back. It'll be me, Shikamaru, and Chouji who save him."

"You're not training under Lady Tsunade," Sakura replied, and Ino gaped. "She agreed to take me on as her apprentice. I'll be learning medical jutsu, among other things."

"You…" Ino started, and then she groaned in frustration. "Fine! I can't believe I ever though that we could get over this rivalry."

"Right," Sakura agreed. "But this time, the victor is whoever saves Sasuke."

"It's a deal."

"Rivals forever."

They stared at each other with intense faces before Sakura's eyes strayed to the purple hyacinths. Her face softened as she remembered why she bought them. Ino's face fell soon after.

"I guess I'd better bring those to Naruto," Sakura commented.

"He said it wasn't your fault," Ino argued.

"I asked him to. I made him promise. Maybe if I hadn't, he wouldn't have let himself get hurt so bad. Maybe he would have pulled back beforehand."

"And you really believe that?" Ino asked. Sakura didn't look at her. "Sakura, I don't know Naruto the way you do, but I know that he and Sasuke were rivals even more than you and I are. He wouldn't have pulled away for anything."

"I guess."

"You know. You're just feeling too guilty over it to admit it to yourself." She reached over to the iris arrangement she was saving for Shikamaru and gave a flower to Sakura. "I think you need this more than Shikamaru does right now."

"Faith, valor, wisdom, and hope," Sakura remembered.

"Most of all hope," Ino said. "Everything's going to be all right. You just need to let yourself see that."

"I know. That's why I asked to be Lady Tsunade's apprentice."

"And she wouldn't have taken you on if she didn't believe in you. You know that too."

"Yeah." Sakura nodded, feeling her self-confidence slowly rising. It was strange how Ino always managed to get her feeling better. "Ino, I'd like to add some more flowers to this. Nothing special—just something bright."

"No messages this time?"

"No. Naruto knows what I mean anyway."

"Okay," Ino replied and started taking some of the brightest, cheeriest flowers she could find and adding them to the vase. "Anything else?"

"No. That's it," Sakura answered, paying. As she started to walk out the door, she stopped suddenly and turned around. "Hey, Ino?"  
"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem. Sometimes you need someone to knock some sense into you."

"Yeah," Sakura replied with a laugh. "It really felt like old times. It was nice."

**Again, a short chapter, but there's only so much that could be said.** **The "flower messages" information came from a site with info on Victorian use of flowers to convey messages—something I intended for a _Kingdom Hearts_ fic I may or may not write. They probably don't mesh well with the Japanese culture, but this was the best I could do.**


	5. Hokage: Shadow

Visiting Hours  
Chapter Five: "Hokage"

"What a day," sighed Fifth Hokage Tsunade as she slumped at her desk. She'd just dealt with two major surgeries, three other genin with serious but non-critical injuries, a veterinary emergency, and getting a new apprentice. A bottle of sake still sat on the desk—necessary for her, Jiraiya, and Kakashi when Hatake had to give a verbal report on what he'd found at the Valley of the End. He had left some time ago, and she didn't blame him. She would have too if she didn't have this responsibility.

"Hmph," she snorted. "When did I start taking this whole Hokage business seriously?" She looked out the window and saw the Hokage monument. "Another fine mess you've gotten us into, Sensei. Some genius you were. You never saw Orochimaru turning until he did. And now look at where your mistake's gotten us." She took a drink, as usual, not caring how drunk she got. She figured she deserved it after today.

"And you, Fourth," she added after emptying her cup in a single shot. "They say you had some precognition. If that's true, then why couldn't you have warned us about all of this? That Uchiha Itachi would slaughter his clan and utterly screw up his little brother to the point he's willing to murder someone who thinks of him as a friend, rival, and brother? But no, you were too damn idealistic to think of that.

"And Uncle, Grandfather, neither of you was any better. Together, you brought the Leaf into peace and prosperity, but you both failed at leaving behind a good instruction manual for your successors. The rest of us were just trapped in your shadows." And those shadows kept getting longer the more Hokages there were before. Tsunade was the Fifth, so she had four very long shadows to contend with. And as expected of shadows, everyone expected her to be just as great as those before her. Never mind the fact that they'd all died violent deaths in vain; Tsunade, a medic at heart, knew that the best thing she could do was to keep alive and heal the village. And they'd all just have to learn to accept that.

"That won't be easy, beloved granddaughter," whispered a voice behind her. Tsunade smirked and turned around to see the just-visible forms of the previous four Hokages standing around the desk.

"Well, it just figures. The one time I'm drunk enough to hallucinate, I see you four," she commented. "Is there anything I can do for you gentlemen?" The Fourth smiled—it looked eerily like a calmer version of Naruto's infectious grin. Tsunade rested her chin on her hands and watched them carefully.

"Sensei's friend," the Fourth addressed, "I wish I'd gotten to know you better. But from what I do know, I think you'll be exactly what the Leaf needs."

"Oh?" she asked.

"The village is in danger, my niece," the Second informed. "You've seen her external enemies, but there will be internal strife to come, especially now that it turns out that our golden prodigy has betrayed us and our hated demon has done all he can to try and save him." Tsunade frowned at the comment about Naruto—the Fourth and the Third also looked incredibly serious at that remark. But the Second showed no ill will toward him; he merely was voicing the village's thoughts.

"What do you plan to do?" the First asked.

"Whatever I can," Tsunade promised. "I'm reorganizing the shinobi, even if I have to disband some teams in the process. We're short on manpower, so I've assigned Kakashi to more of our higher level missions. Naruto will spend the next few years training under Jiraiya while I train Sakura."

The Fourth grinned. "They really believe they'll be able to save their friend. I hope they're right."

"And you can't see it?" Tsunade questioned.

"Naruto has sworn to defy fate," the Fourth answered, still grinning. "And he's unpredictable by nature—the most unpredictable ninja the Leaf has ever had. How can I see anything in his future, other than what he promises will happen?" Tsunade couldn't help but grin herself.

"Tsunade," the Third addressed, and the Fifth turned her attention to the man who had been one of their most beloved leaders. "You are not my student anymore, but I still feel as though I never taught you enough. And now all I can offer you are words I hope you remember. Things will be difficult for the next few years. The Hidden Leaf has many enemies, especially Akatsuki and Orochimaru—threats I should have anticipated. We are short on manpower, and we have many other problems within us as well—clans that are questioning their traditions, ninjas who are changing their viewpoints, children who are just now growing up. But never forget that we are strong."

"We have a will of fire," she remembered.

"And nothing can ever extinguish it," he added just before all four of them faded like the last embers of a dying fire.

Shizune opened the door to see Tsunade sitting and staring out the window. It was such an unusually quiet moment for her that Shizune wasn't sure whether or not she should disturb her. But when Tsunade said, "Come in," she hesitantly walked in.

"It looks like everyone's recovering well," she reported. "Inuzuka Hana says that Akamaru is out of danger, and both he and Kiba are sleeping peacefully. Hyuuga Neji regained consciousness long enough to have a brief talk with his family before he went back to sleep. And earlier, I chased Konohamaru out of Naruto's room so he could rest. Here's his updated medical information." Tsunade nodded as Shizune dropped the folder on her desk. From this angle, she could see what Tsunade was staring so intently at: the Hokage mountain. Soon enough, once the village itself had recovered enough, Tsunade's face would join its predecessors.

"Amazing men, weren't they?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, they were," Shizune agreed. "But I think they'd be proud of how you've done so far."

Tsunade nodded. "It's ironic how the fire can cast such a shadow, though. It gives light, warmth, and strength, but there's still an impression of its form when you look at the shadow cast by the candle. And the Hokage is the strongest fire of them all."

"But the fire also heals," Shizune reminded her. "Before we knew such advanced medical jutsu, we used heat and flame to burn away infection. And that's what the village needs right now."

Tsunade reached for her sake bottle. "A toast to the Hokages then?"

Shizune didn't argue this time, accepting a clean glass. "To the great fire of the Leaf."

They drank in silence, staring out over the village as the sun sank in the horizon.

**The Fourth Hokage's comments about precognition come from my fic "Foreshadow," but that and "Visiting Hours" aren't necessarily in the same continuity.**


	6. Friends: Memory

"_The ones that love us never really leave us. You can always find them in here." (points to heart)  
Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie_

Visiting Hours  
Chapter Six: "Friends"

From a professional standpoint, the mission was a complete failure. But from Hatake Kakashi's standpoint, _he _was the failure. Four genin were badly injured and his team had broken apart because he didn't let himself see the warning signs in Sasuke. Now, Sasuke was gone, Naruto would be leaving soon, and Sakura would commit herself to studying. And here was Kakashi, standing before the collapsed cave that was Uchiha Obito's final resting place.

"Another team broken," he muttered. "I tried, Obito. But in the end, it fell apart."

"Maybe it's because you're stuck in the past?" suggested a voice. Kakashi sighed. Why was it that whenever his ghosts came back to haunt him, it was always Rin and never Obito or Sensei, or even his father? "Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are always looking to the future—to be Hokage, to get revenge and revive the clan, and to get stronger. But you keep remembering the past, and that holds you back."

"So you're saying I should just forget you all?" he asked.

"You know I don't mean that," Rin answered. Kakashi looked up at the darkening skies. It looked like it was going to rain again. "Kakashi, you're stuck. We appreciate that you're trying to honor us, but you're going about this wrong. You need to stop letting the past destroy you. It always used to before, and you haven't learned."

To Kakashi, past or present didn't mean a thing—everything eventually repeated itself in an endless loop. His now-former team was living proof of that. Naruto was a small, louder, blond Jiraiya, but less perverted. Sasuke turned, just as Orochimaru had, in search of power. And Sakura—well, she was different from Tsunade in that she wasn't going to give up on them. But the similarity was still frightening. So too were the similarities between them and Kakashi's first team. In the beginning, Sasuke had reminded Kakashi of himself, so he thought that he'd be able to keep him from repeating his mistakes. Sakura was so much like Rin that it hurt sometimes. And if Sakura's similarity to Rin was painful, Naruto's to Obito was far worse. Sometimes, Kakashi thought Obito had been reincarnated as Naruto, they were that similar. When he saw Naruto half-dead from his battle with Sasuke—honestly believing he _was_ dead—he was reminded of Obito crushed under that boulder.

"When you found Naruto, who did you see?" Rin questioned. "Naruto or Obito?"

"Both," Kakashi confessed.

"Is that why you passed them?"

"No. I passed them because they actually understood the importance of teamwork."

"Maybe Sasuke's forgotten, but Naruto and Sakura haven't. Neither should you."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "I thought it was Sensei's job to lecture me."

"You need a lot of lecturing. You never seem to listen the first time."

"Guess that's something I have in common with all three of my students."

"Don't give up on them," Rin advised. "Take off and train if you have to, but be ready to join Naruto and Sakura when they go to save Sasuke. Because someone who abandons his friends is worse than scum."

And with that, her voice was gone. Kakashi bowed in respect to Obito's grave before turning and leaping away to head back home.


End file.
